Former top 10 tennis player Marin Cilic suspended for doping

Marin Cilic has been suspended nine months after testing positive for a banned substance.

Marin Cilic will miss nine months of play after testing positive for a banned substance. (USATSI)

Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic has been suspended for nine months after testing positive for a banned substance at a tournament in Munich last spring.

According to the Associated Press, Cilic claims that the substance was ingested in the form of glucose tablets, and he did not intentionally make use of performance-enhancing drugs.

"I wish to emphasize that I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any banned substances in my life and that I am opposed to any use of performance-enhancing substances in sport," Cilic said, according to the AP.

The International Tennis Federation acknowledges Cilic's contention, and his suspension has been back-dated to May 1 and shortened from the requisite two years to just nine months. He will again be eligible to compete Jan. 31.

Currently ranked as the world's 24th best player, Cilic last competed at Wimbledon, where he withdrew prior to his second round match with a knee injury.

Cilic achieved his highest career ranking in early 2010, when he climbed all the way to ninth in the world.